


The Gold Bar

by nobinaries



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Nicole, College AU, Dating, F/F, Falling In Love, Rating for later chapters, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 10:23:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15839301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobinaries/pseuds/nobinaries
Summary: Waverly has transferred to a new college to get her shit together. Nicole is working her way through college and isn't so worried that Waverly doesn't have time for dating.





	The Gold Bar

**Author's Note:**

> So I was listening to an older episode of the EFA podcast and there was a request mentioned. "Come on people make Nicole the Barista." I'm paraphrasing....but....this popped into my head and well here we go. We'll see how it goes. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

It was the morning rush and while it was hectic it was Nicole’s favorite shift to work. Time went quickly and she got to chat with her regulars while she made their morning fuel with practiced ease. She’d been working at The Gold Bar since high school and it was helping her pay for college now. She’d wanted to leave town to go to school but after her parents cut her off options were more limited so she was the home town girl going to the home town college. It hadn’t stopped her from fully loading her schedule though, double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice. The early morning shifts worked for her because she could work before class and the tips were good at this hour. Everyone was grateful for their coffee at five in the morning.

It was the first week of classes, so the line was extra busy, and folks looked just a little extra bewildered. Nicole noted that she already knew the orders for the next three people in line. Professor Lucado, forever in her power pantsuits, ordered black coffee. No frills, no bullshit, just like her. She was Nicole’s Crime Analysis professor and she pretty much made most students want to shit themselves. Next in line was grande, non-fat, no foam, two Splenda. Nicole couldn’t remember her name, it was probably Becky, she was about as non-descript as her drink indicated. Third back was Dolls, triple espresso splash of soy, no dairy, no gluten, salad for breakfast, Dolls. He and Nicole had been friends since Frosh week when they’d met at a mixer for students interested in law enforcement. They had a healthy competition for who was going to graduate top of their class, but they appreciated how they each pushed the other too be better.

Nicole dipper her chin toward him in recognition and he nodded in return too far back in line to strike up conversation. She lined up the upcoming drinks to be waiting as folks got up to the register trying to stay ahead of the curve. Nothing worse than getting backed up during the rush. She could run the machine mostly on muscle memory and could hear when the milk was foamed correctly without so much as a glance at the thermometer. After ticking off Dolls’ drink Nicole caught site of the first customer of the morning she didn’t recognize. And she was pretty sure she’d have remembered.

The next person in line was juggling an armload of papers and books trying to get them balanced and seemed to be muttering to herself in frustration. Her long brown hair was up in a sloppy but somehow perfect bun that was held together with a pencil. Nicole couldn’t help but smile at the idea that someone, in real life, had actually used a pencil in their hair. She was petit and fumbly and Nicole couldn’t take her eyes off her.

By the time she got to the register she had managed to wrestle her books and papers into her messenger bag, well sort of, there were still some pages poking out at odd angles. She got up to the register and Nicole waited to hear what her beverage was, guessing probably a hot chocolate or maybe at this hour of the day tea, yeah definitely tea, cocoa would be in the evening after a difficult day.

“What can I start for you,” Nicole interjected before her co-worker at the register could speak. She figured Lonnie ran the chance of screwing it up anyway. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed certainly.

“Can I have a peppermint tea, please.” Her voice was soft, sweetly lilting belying her earlier frustration in line.

“Absolutely,” Nicole winked as she spoke and caught the soft blush it caused before she turned around to get the tea. A little bit of flirting was second nature to Nicole, especially in this job, and it had been awhile since she’d seen a new face. And this was definitely an intriguing face.

Nicole turned and placed the cup of tea at the end of the counter where the other woman was waiting. She couldn’t help but smiling her full dimpled smile as she continued to make drinks as the line stayed steady. “Peppermint tea” still stood at the end of the counter smiling back shyly as she fidgeted with the sleeve around her cup.

“Hi,” Nicole spoke up, used to creating conversation with folks waiting at the bar. “Your first time in the Gold Bar?”

“Yes,” Peppermint tea answered, “First week in town actually. I just transferred.”

“Ah,” Nicole replied as she deftly poured frothed milk into another latte. “That explains why I’ve never seen you before. I’m Nicole by the way, Nicole Haught.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have any honey back there would you, Nicole Haught? For my tea?” She smiled as she spoke.

“As a matter of fact,” Nicole answered, “I would.” She handed the other woman a honey bear which she used to squeeze a generous amount into her cup.

“I’m Waverly, by the way,” she said handing Nicole back the honey bear, “Waverly Earp.”

Waverly picks up her now sweetened tea and reaches to put the lid back on. Through some unfortunate physics of an overly crowded coffee shop at about 6 in the morning there’s some jostling behind her and someone stumbles into her causing her tea to spill down the front of her shirt.

“Shit,” the curse somehow sounds adorable coming from her, “perfect!” Waverly sets down the now mostly empty cup and makes a gesture of pure exasperation.

“Oh no!” Nicole laughs lightly, “I mean we usually don’t host wet t-shirt contests but…”

She lets her words hang in the air hoping the joke lands ok considering Waverly’s frustration. There’s a spark of anger in her hazel eyes but it flickers quickly when she notices Nicole is holding out a clean towel for Waverly to try and dry herself with. Waverly accepts the towel over the counter and dabs at her soaked shirt.

“Let me get you another,” Nicole turns before Waverly can answer and quickly prepares another cup and grabs the honey setting them both down in front of Waverly, so she can sweeten the new cup.

“Thank you,” Waverly says as she hands the towel back to Nicole. It is easy to read the embarrassment and undertone of frustration on her features even as she squeezes honey into her tea for the second time.

“I’m sorry, about the shirt I mean,” Nicole smiles softly.

Waverly looks down at herself and just shrugs. There’s not much to be done at this point and she doesn’t have time to go home. Of course, she has meetings with her advisor and the head of the linguistics department. Hopefully she can just button the cardigan she’s wearing and pretend nothing happened.

“At least I’ll smell like peppermint?” There’s an uplift at the end of her sentence trying to make the best of what has been a relatively terrible morning. Though, the dimpled smile and soft brown eyes currently in front of her are making the morning seem significantly less terrible. Not that she has time right now for dimples, or soft brown eyes, or red hair. Or those long legs she was _absolutely not_ checking out when Nicole turned to make her tea. Because she’s here to study. And learn. And get her shit together.

Nicole, however, doesn’t seem to care about all those things going on in Waverly’s mind. She just winks again, and her dimples deepen, like that was possible or fair, and Waverly notices there’s a number and a smiley face written on the side of her cup.


End file.
